This application claims the priority of German application 196 51 735.4, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a holding device for a motor. Such holding devices are used, for example, for linking an electric motor for a fan wheel of a heating or air-conditioning system of a motor vehicle to corresponding housing parts of the heating or air-conditioning unit or vehicle body parts. A known difficulty in this case is to achieve a transmission of vibrations which is as low as possible, for which the vibration-uncoupling support element or elements are used, and to minimize the noise caused by the motor holder.
A holding device of the initially mentioned type is known from European Published Patent Application EP 0 642 206 A1. There, the adapter contains a bottom surface which can be fixed to a front end of an exterior motor component, which is formed by the pole ring of an electric motor, and holding fingers which project axially from the bottom surface and on whose radial exterior side rubber-elastic supporting elements are mounted. By way of these supporting elements, the adapter is connected with axially extending fastening webs and project from radial webs of the motor holder, these radial webs connecting two concentric rings of the motor holder with one another. The supporting elements are mounted on the holding fingers of the adapter and, radially on the outside, have detent noses by means of which they are locked into detent openings of the fastening webs of the motor holder.
For the vibration uncoupling and noise reduction on a housing or a vehicle, it is known from European Published Patent Application EP 0 545 003 A2 to arrange strip-shaped, rubber-elastic supporting elements between the pole ring of an electric motor and a motor holder. In an embodiment, supporting elements are form-lockingly connected with the motor holder. In order to secure the electric motor in the axial direction, the pole ring is provided with one recess or several recesses into which button-shaped projections engage of the supporting elements used as the supporting devices. In the case of another embodiment, the motor holder is connected by means of rubber-elastic supporting elements with the bearing bracket of the electric motor.
From German Utility Patent DE 91 08 745 U1, it is known to provide a holding body made of rubber-elastic material with a surrounding ring part which spans around an intermediate bush surrounding a stator of an electric motor and holds it on a motor holder. In the case of this construction, three arm parts are additionally provided which are uniformly distributed along the circumference, are molded onto the ring part and cause an additional support between the motor housing and the intermediate bush.
An object of the invention is to provide a holding device achieving a further improved vibration uncoupling and reduction of noise.
This and other objects have been achieved to the present invention by providing a holding device for a motor, comprising: an adapter defining a longitudinal axis and having a bottom surface to be fixed to an exterior motor component, said adapter having a plurality of holding fingers which project axially away from the bottom surface to respective free end areas which are bent radially to the outside; a motor holder having a plurality of radially extending fastening arms; and a plurality of vibration-uncoupling supporting elements disposed axially between said free end areas and said fastening arms, respectively.
This and other objects have been achieved to the present invention by providing a holding device for a motor, comprising: an adapter defining a longitudinal axis and having a bottom surface to be fixed to an exterior motor component, said adapter having a plurality of holding fingers projecting axially away from the bottom surface to respective free end areas; a motor holder having a ring, a plurality of connection webs extending radially inwardly from said ring, and a respective plurality of fastening arms extending axially from said connection webs at a distance from said longitudinal axis; and a plurality of supporting elements disposed radially between said free end areas of the holding fingers and respective of said fastening arms, said supporting elements being mounted in receiving pockets located in one of a radial interior side of the fastening arms and a radial exterior side of the holding fingers.
This and other objects have been achieved to the present invention by providing a holding device for a motor, comprising: a cup-shaped adapter having a bottom surface to be fixed to an exterior motor component; a motor holder connected with a shell surface of the adapter, and a plurality of vibration-uncoupling supporting elements disposed between said bottom surface of the adapter and said exterior motor component.
This and other objects have been achieved to the present invention by providing a holding device for a motor, comprising: an annular motor holder defining a plane and defining a longitudinal axis perpendicular to said plane; a plurality of fastening arms extending at least partially radially inwardly from said motor holder; an adapter arranged radially inside and coaxial with said holder, said adapter having a bottom surface essentially parallel to and spaced at a distance from said plane, said adapter including a plurality of holding fingers extending from said bottom surface at least partially parallel to said longitudinal axis and ending at free end areas, said plurality of holding fingers corresponding in number to said plurality of fastening arms; and a plurality of vibration-uncoupling supporting elements disposed between said fastening arms and said free end areas, respectively.
According to the holding device of the present invention, the vibration-uncoupling supporting elements are inserted between axially spaced sections of the adapter, on the one hand, and the motor holder, on the other hand. In this manner, vibrations of a motor held by it are converted to axial loads of the supporting elements and can thereby be absorbed by the latter in a very effective manner. The whole motor holding device can have a very compact construction and can be mounted in a very simple fashion. It was found that a motor held by means of this holding device can run smoothly and with a low emission of noise. In particular, the supporting elements can be positioned at a comparatively large axial distance from a fan wheel driven by the held motor which minimizes the development of noise because of the air which is taken in by the fan wheel and flows past parts of the motor holder and/or of the adapter.
According to certain preferred embodiments, the motor holder has several fastening arms which are situated on a common circular line, extend axially and are connected via connection webs with an otherwise open ring, the connection webs being situated in a plane which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the holding device. On the one side, the adapter is fixed to an exterior component of the motor to be held and, on the other side, by means of corresponding holding fingers to the fastening arms of the motor holder by means of vibration-uncoupling supporting elements. The supporting elements have a rubber-elastic construction and are mounted either on the fastening arms of the motor holder or the adapter holding fingers, in which case they are inserted on the respective other part in the receiving pockets provided there. A holding device which is constructed in this manner can be easily mounted and it was found that it has a fluidically advantageous shape which only minimally influences the air flow path for a fan wheel which is driven by the held motor.
According to certain preferred embodiments, the adapter has a cup-shaped construction, the motor to be held being insertable into the adapter cup. Characteristically, in the case of this holding device, the vibration-uncoupling supporting elements are arranged on the face as a component of the connection of the adapter and the exterior motor component; that is, the cup bottom of the adapter is connected via the supporting elements in a vibration-uncoupled manner with the corresponding front end of the exterior motor component. By means of its shell surface, the adapter is fixed to the motor holder, in which case no additional vibration uncoupling must be provided for this connection. This holding device permits a one-piece motor holder--adapter implementation and provides an arrangement of the supporting elements which is favorable with respect to loads and has an axial main loading direction. By means of the shell surface of the adapter, a smooth flow surface is provided for air taken in by a fan wheel driven by the motor. On the whole, this, in turn, results in a low vibration transmission and a reduced noise proportion while the mounting is easy.
According to certain preferred embodiments, the bottom surface of the cup-shaped adapter can be fixed on the corresponding front end of the exterior motor component in a special manner which is particularly advantageous with respect to the uncoupling of vibrations. The connection takes place at several points which are all situated on a first diameter line, with the insertion of first supporting elements. This permits a slight pitching movement of the thus fixed motor vertically to this diameter line, which is advantageous with respect to the uncoupling of vibrations. In order to limit this pitching movement and prevent a striking of the motor on the motor holder, second supporting elements are arranged between the adapter bottom surface and the adjoining front end of the exterior motor component outside this diameter line, for example, along a second diameter line, which extends in a non-parallel, preferably vertical manner with respect to the first diameter line.
A holding device further developed according to certain preferred embodiments is provided for a motor of a multi-flow fan which has at least two fan flow channel stages situated axially behind one another. In the case of this holding device, the cup-shaped adapter extends with its open cup end area axially beyond the exterior motor component, such as a motor pole ring, to at least the height of a first one of the fan flow channel stages, for example, into the transition area of two fan flow channel stages which are situated axially behind one another. It was found that by means of this cup-type casing of the motor, a particularly low noise contribution can be achieved.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.